Since 2006 Sukita has developed an amazing understanding of the installation and sustainability of earthen floors. Sukita’s love of working with clay has brought life to her natural building construction company: “From These Hands.” Now she offers workshops and her own select mix of earth to create the perfect natural floor for any space. Add earthen floor installation to your new list of planet-loving skills by participating in our next course at Lost Valley in Dexter, OR!

I am an experienced Earthbag builder and permaculture designer. The building that you describe is completely doable as a commercial structure. I personally have been involved with two code approved residential builds. Earthbag building is on the "codes" radar and has shown to be a strong and sustainable building method. There are some steps one needs to take when dealing with code officials. You will likely need an engineers stamp on the plans. It is a good idea to be highly knowledgeable and be able to give the officials source material and test results to teach them.Some places are more lenient than others, but most officials are open to alternative construction methods. I'd love to discuss your ideas further and perhaps I can help you take the next steps.

I have a lot of experience building with Earthbags. I've built two code approved residential structures and multiple smaller demonstrations, among teaching workshops. I really like the design you've chosen, it will be a beautiful structure. I may heading out that way in the Spring to the Dancing Rabbit Community. We shall see! Feel free to ask any questions of me about EB building. I am happy to share all that I know!

"Vibez International is hosting a marvelous 7 day earth bag building workshop in Jamaica West Indies (July 14th-21st). The location for this project is in sheffield,Westmoreland, 7 minutes inland of Jamaica’s West coast . We will build a monumental 16-foot dome using human hands and age-old technologies.

Learn the Earth bag building technique; one of the most durable long lasting housing options available. Easy to learn and easy to acquire the few needed supplies. This green technique will empower ones with the ability to build anywhere in the world as long as there is dirt!

In this course you will learn everything you need to know on how to build a complete dome house capable of connecting to other domes via doorways. Coarse covers; [the foundation, soil testing, pole compass, bag filling, bag laying, tamping, barbed wire technique, electric installation, doors,windows and plaster]. Now is the time for you to expand the possibilities for your future home project, hone your holistic architectural and engineering ideas, learn new craftsman skills, change the current climate of your earth, body, soul, and mind, and redefine your life through this epic Earth Bag Building Workshop.

Join us in bringing this sustainable building technique to Jamaica with plenty time to explore and experience Jamaica's heritage and natural wonders. Enjoy being energized by the island while giving and gaining knowledge. We will have free time every afternoon during the workshop week for excursions or beach time. Vibez will remain in Jamaica for the rest of July for those looking for a deeper Jamaican experience. If you are interested in attending Reggae Sumfest, the worlds largest reggae show, July (22,23,24) and or Nyahbingi Rastafari ceremony and would like time to soak up the good Vibez!

$1000-*All-inclusive: 1 week Earth Bag Building course, beachfront hotel [queen size beds, kitchen, bath, pool, Jacuzzi, A/C, cable and free wi-fi]. All ground transportation- to and from Airport, to and from work site, all evening outings, *tours, and daily courtesy rides to cambio and supermarket. *Tours consist of afternoon excursions to fresh springs and a mid-week tour to Abeokuta and roaring river caves and river w/ all entry fees included, all meals and beverages included.

$1200-*All-inclusive (10 days): 1 week Earth Bag Building course, beachfront hotel [queen size beds, kitchen, bath, pool, Jacuzzi, a/c, cable and free wi-fi]. All ground transportation- to and from Airport, to and from work site, all evening outings, *tours, and daily courtesy rides to cambio and supermarket. *Tours consist of afternoon excursions, to fresh springs and a mid-week tour to: Abeokuta and roaring river caves and river w/ all entry fees included. Trip to reggae Sumfest (entry not included). All meals and beverages included.

$1400-*All-inclusive (14 days): 1 week Earth Bag Building course, beachfront hotel [queen size beds, kitchen, bath, pool, Jacuzzi, a/c, cable and free wi-fi]. All ground transportation- to and from Airport, to and from work site, all evening outings, *tours, and daily courtesy rides to cambio and supermarket. *Tours consist of afternoon excursions to fresh springs and a mid-week tour to Abeokuta and roaring river caves and river w/ all entry fees included. Trip to the largest reggae show on earth, Reggae Sumfest July 22,23,24(entry not included). Trip to Greenfarm in Hanover, cliff jumping and snorkeling on Negril's west end and plenty time to relax or party. All meals and beverages included.

* All inclusive- (Airfare not included) * There are volunteer slots available. If you are interested in being a volunteer e-mail us a one page letter stating why you are interested in Earthbag Building. * Sliding scale for couples- 20% off * Yoga and Tai chi in the mornings * The excursions include, but are not limited to, Reggae Sumfest, visits at Roaring River Village, mystical caves, swimming in naturally occurring pools, Abeokuta, drum making, mineral springs, bridge and cliff jumping -for the very brave, snorkeling and various adventures per the group’s interests.

I agree that the double bag wall might be a better option. The reason being the difference in the way the wall compacts. It would also require each individual bag to be sown shut. The bags could be filled with an insulative material such as scoria or perlite, than bermed.

As far as engineering, CalEarth has done lots of work with engineering the EB domes. They have only done static load testing though. Once plastered, an earthbag dome becomes a monolithic structure, with all of the forces being evenly dispersed to the ground. f I believe Kelly has a write up on earthbagbuilding.com under articles.

I've built a number of unstabalized earthbag domes. I am curious about the failures of which you speak. I do a lot of work in this area and would love it if you could share why these buildings did not work out. I found in my experience two major factors can lead to an earthbag dome not behaving as it should. The first is improper fill in the bags. If you use an all sand mix or all clay you run into difficulties. Sand is a shape shifter and does not compact and harden particularly well. The clay would eventually harden, but it is very difficult to keep the bags in place while building. it tend to want to slide out as one tamps. The best method is something which compacts well and hardens as the wall cures. A mix close to that of adobe. There are many other mixes that work, but testing and observation needs to occur before a full size building is undertaken.

Another problem I have dealt with is the bags being not wide enough. If one tries to build to large a dome with two small a bag, the dome becomes unstable and wobbles.

The double strands of barbed wire between each course serve two functions. They provide tensile strength holding the bags together and in place while building and tamping. It also creates tension rings throughout the structure.

Once plastered, an earthbag dome behaves just as a poured concrete dome. The beauty is in the shape, and the transfer of the loads to the Earth.

Much trial and error needs to happen for sure. And if anyone has a shake table in their backyard there is great need for emprical engineering tests. Until then, we just have anecdotal evidence. From what I have read and experienced, earthbag domes when properly built, are incredibly strong and durable. They can be built on any continent with minimal outside resources. The main supplies are ubiquitious, poly bags and barbed wire and the method is simple enough to learn and teach very quickly.

Again, please send me accounts of the failures so that we may learn from them.

You can use Earthbags to create monolithic domes. They use pretty much all local materials and can be built for very little money as long as you have the labor. Not to mention you can forgo the use of cement. Check out earthbagbuilding.com or email me if you are curious, I have built a few complex dome structures and many demos.